Professional summer theater Millbrook Playhouse has welcomed a new artistic director as their 60th season is on the horizon.

Shannon Agnew, originally of Philadelphia, has been directing and working with Millbrook for over 8 years.

“I believe it was 2014 by way of the previous artistic director, David Leidholdt. I was a performer, I came into the playhouse for one season and really kind of fell in love with the community and the Playhouse, the culture and the work that was being done there,” Shannon Agnew, artistic director of Millbrook Playhouse said. “For the following years, on and off returned, of many different iterations of an identity in the arts, as writer as a director and choreographer for the Playhouse as an artistic associate,” she added.

“I realized that this is truly the gem of Clinton County. It is so special to have this organization and this theater, where it is in the world and the artists that come together there (and) always produce such incredible work in really unique ways,” Agnew said.

In the summer of 2022, the previous artistic director, David Leidholdt, announced that he was going to step down.

“The board approached me about kind of stepping in to fill his shoes, which was such a surprise and really honor that I had been considered for the position. It was thrilling to get to step up for Millbrook’s 60th season and kind of usher in this new era at the Playhouse,” Agnew said.

Millbrook Playhouse, which began productions in 1963, is a traditional summer stock theater that has two stages, a 235‐seat Main Stage theater and a 100-seat Cabaret Theatre.

“My favorite part of the Playhouse and how it differs from other kind of more commercial ventures that I have taken on is that our community is so strong in kind of surrounding and lifting up the playhouse and accepting of the visions of all of the directors that come in,” Agnew said. “We’re able to really produce work that is specifically engineered and targeted for that space. We’re able to look at everything that we produce and say ‘Why are we telling this story now?’ and ‘How can you tell it at Millbrook, utilizing all of the magical quirks of the building and everything surrounding it?’ In my experience, it’s drawn artists back to the Playhouse year after year, as well as audiences, because you’re not just seeing a commercial piece of theater that was brought in. It’s something that was this kind of Couture piece made specifically for the Playhouse and for our patrons with everyone’s full heart and creativity into it,” she added.

Agnew, who started in theater very young, has always known that it was something she wanted to do with her life.

“I was kind of bitten by the bug early — everything just hooked me in. I grew up in a very theatrical family. My mom is also in the arts and in theater. So I was always surrounded by music and imagination and scripts in the house growing up,” Agnew said. “I pursued my BFA in musical theater and graduated from Pace University in 2011. I just started performing everywhere I could, and was working nationally for three years on with a theater company that sadly has since closed … Touring, family musicals, writing my own pieces and producing them in Philadelphia and basically just anything I could get my hands on to do,” she added.

Throughout her experience, Agnew realized her path in theater would involve creating a safe and inclusive space for everyone.

“It’s a conversation that’s ongoing in the industry, of how we can treat each other better,” Agnew said. “A lot of folks kind of left the industry because of the treatment they were receiving. I very quickly realized that my calling in the arts was not necessarily to be on stage, but to ensure that with my presence in a room, I was creating a safe space,” she added.

“Arts administration became a huge passion of mine, because it meant that I could share my love of theater with the community I was working with, and to create safe spaces for young artists to lay really healthy foundations for the rest of their vocation, whether it was in the arts or not,” Agnew said.

“It’s been amazing to kind of watch the Playhouse evolve and watch the productions that we are producing become more ambitious. And as we challenge our artists to kind of raise the caliber of the work that they’re doing and, and also take on larger productions that challenge our audience. It certainly was amazing that we were able to do Rent last year and kind of bring new narratives to the stage to be more intentionally inclusive with the narratives that we’re putting on our stages,” Agnew said. “It’s very important to keep that in our production lineup, but to also offer some new things to bring some new folks into the Playhouse, who then will have an opportunity to see themselves represented on stage,” she added.

“My predecessor David’s mantra, that I carry with me, is ‘take care of the work and take care of each other,’ and I very much plan to kind of use that as we navigate forward to make the best work that we can and provide the best experience for our patrons that we can … make sure our artists have the resources they need to really thrive,” Agnew said.

This season’s upcoming show lineup includes Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville, Looking Over the President’s Shoulder, Double Trouble (A Musical Tour de Farce), A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, Boeing Boeing, The Roommate and more.

This year, Millbrook will also be having their very first Juneteenth Celebration.

“I’m very proud and excited. That is a really important piece of history that was present on our stage and also very intentional as we produce theater to make sure we’re representing every story out there,” Agnew said.

Season ticket packages, which include tickets to multiple shows, are on sale.

General sale tickets, subscriptions, camps and 60th celebration events are available. Purchase tickets at www.millbrookplayhouse.org or call 570-748-8083.